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Queen Sonja of Norway (née Sonja Haraldsen, born 4 July 1937 in Oslo) is the wife of King Harald V of Norway. [2]
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Prior to marriage
Sonja was born in Oslo on 4 July 1937 as the daughter of Dagny Ulrichsen (1898-1994) and Karl August Haraldsen (1889-1959). [2]
Queen Sonja grew up in the district of Vinderen in Oslo and completed her lower secondary schooling in 1954. She received a diploma in dressmaking and tailoring at the Oslo Vocational School, as well as a diploma from École Professionelle des Jeunes Filles in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, she studied accounting, fashion design, and social science. [2]
She returned to Norway for further studies and received an undergraduate degree (French, English and Art History) from the University of Oslo. [2]
As Crown Princess of Norway
She became engaged to then Crown Prince Harald in March 1968. They had been dating for nine years, although this had been kept secret because of opposition to her non-royal status. [2] The Crown Prince made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried for life unless he could marry her. This would in effect put an end to the rule of his family and most likely monarchy in Norway as he was the sole heir. Instead of choosing any of his relatives from the Danish Royal Family, the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein or even the Grand Dukes of Oldenburg as his new heir, Olav V consulted the government for advice and the result was that the couple were wed on 29 August 1968, at Oslo Domkirke in Oslo. She thus acquired the style of Royal Highness and the title of Crown Princess of Norway. [2]
Immediately after the wedding, the new Crown Princess started carrying out her royal duties, travelling extensively in Norway and abroad. In 1972 she was involved in establishing Princess Märtha Louise’s Fund, which provides assistance to disabled children in Norway. She has taken active part in large-scale initiatives to raise funds for international refugees and spent time in the 1970s visiting Vietnamese boat refugees in Malaysia. [2]
From 1987 to 1990, Crown Princess Sonja served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross. She was responsible for the organisation’s international activities. She took part in a Red Cross delegation to Botswana and Zimbabwe in 1989. [2]
The Queen Sonja International Music Competition
The then Crown Princess Sonja established this music competition in 1988. It was originally for pianists, but in 1995 the competition became only for singers. The jury consists of diverse authoritative figures in opera and the winners receive a cash amount and prestigious engagements at Norwegian music institutions.[2][3]
As Queen
Following the death of King Olav V on 17 January 1991, Sonja became Norway's first queen consort in 53 years. [2] Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald V when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991. It was the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian queen had been present in the Storting. Queen Sonja has accompanied the King to the formal opening of the fall session of the Storting and the reading of the Speech from the Throne since his accession. [2]
In accordance with their own wishes, the King and Queen were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991. [2] Following the consecration, the King and Queen conducted a 10-day tour of Southern Norway. In 1992, the entire Royal Family conducted a 22-day tour of Norway’s four northernmost counties. [2]
The Queen accompanies the King on official state visits abroad. She acts as the hostess when foreign heads of state officially visit Norway. [2] The Queen has also given lectures on Norway as a tourist destination on several occasions during official state visits abroad. [2]
In 2005, Queen Sonja became the first queen ever to visit Antarctica. [2] The Queen was there to open the Norwegian Troll research station in the country's Antarctic dependency, Queen Maud Land. The Queen flew in on one of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, landing at Troll airfield. [2]
The Queen is appointed a Rear Admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy and a Brigadier in the Norwegian army. She has undergone a basic officer training course and has participated in exercises.[4][5]
Queen Sonja’s School Award
Queen Sonja’s School Award was established in 2006 and is awarded to schools who have "demonstrated excellence in its efforts to promote inclusion and equality".[2][6]
Issue
| Name | Birth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Märtha Louise | 22 September 1971 | married to Ari Behn since 2002, has issue (three daughters) |
| Crown Prince Haakon Magnus | 20 July 1973 | married to Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby since 2001, has issue (a daughter and a son) |
King Harald V and Queen Sonja have five grandchildren: HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, HH Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, Maud Angelica Behn , Leah Isadora Behn and Emma Tallulah Behn. They also have a step-grandchild, the Crown Princess's son, Marius Borg Høiby.
Patronages
- Red Cross Nordic United World College
- Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association
- The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments
- Norges museumsforbund (The Norwegian Association of Museums)
- The Norwegian National Opera
- Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
- Oslo Chamber Music Festival
- The Førde International Folk Music Festival
- The National Association of Folk Music and Dance
- The Royal Norwegian Society for Development
- Det norske hageselskap (The Norwegian Horticulture Society)
- The Norwegian Institute in Rome
- The Norwegian Institute in Athens
Honours
In 1982 she was awarded the Nansen Refugee Award. In 2007, she received the Holmenkollen medal with Simon Ammann, Frode Estil, Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, and her husband, King Harald V.
Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav- Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
- The Royal House Centenary Medal
- Haakon VIIs Centenary Medal
- Olav Vs Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991
- Olav Vs Jubilee Medal 1957-1982
- Olav Vs Centenary Medal
- Royal Family Order of King Olav V of Norway
- Royal Family Order of King Harald V of Norway
- Norwegian Red Cross Badge of Honour
- The Nansen Medal
- Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold
Grand Cross of the Decoration of Honour for Merit
Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold
Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
Grand Cross of the Order Of The Balkan Mountains
Knight of the Elephant
Grand Cross of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose
Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour
Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic
The Golden Olympic order (IOC)
Grand cross of the Order of the Falcon
Grand Cross of the Italian Order of Merit
Grand Cross of the Order of the Precious Crown
Grand Cross of the Order of Al-Nahda (Order of the Renaissance)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars
Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great
Grand Cross of the Order of Adolph of Nassau- Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion- Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
- Medal to commemorate the enthronement of Queen Beatrix
Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ- Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Portugal
Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III- Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Knight of the Order of the Seraphim- King Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th Anniversary Medal
References
- ^ Coronation discarded by constitutional amendment in 1908. Harald V swore the Royal Oath in the Storting on 21 January 1991 and received the benediction in the Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June 1991.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r The Official Website of the Royal House of Norway: Her Majesty Queen Sonja
- ^ Queen Sonja International Music Competition web page Retrieved 2 September 2009
- ^ Video from NRK of Sonja participating in a winter exercise
- ^ Article from the Norwegian defence on Royals in the military (Norwegian)
- ^ Article from the Norwegian Directorate of Education on Queen Sonja’s School Award (Norwegian) Retrieved 6 November 2007
- ^ Royal House web page on the Queen's patronages Retrieved 6 November 2007
- ^ Royal House web page on Queen Sonja's decorations (Norwegian) Retrieved 5 November 2007
- 2007 Holmenkollen medalists announced - Accessed 18 March 2007. (Norwegian)
- Holmenkollen medal presented to Estil and Hjelmeset - Accessed 21 March 2007 (Norwegian)
External links
| Styles of Queen Sonja of Norway as consort |
|
 |
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| Reference style | Her Majesty |
|---|---|
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
| Norwegian royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant
Title last held by
Maud of Wales |
Queen consort of Norway 1991 – present |
Incumbent Heir: Crown Princess Mette-Marit |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Andrus Veerpalu |
Holmenkollen medal with Simon Ammann, Frode Estil, King Harald V, and Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset 2007 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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